Striker 600ST
Reviewed by:
supersize, on september 08, 2011 0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Price paid: C$ 200

Purchased from: Private sale

Features: I have a 1986 Kramer Striker 600st, one of the ones made in Korea. it has 22 frets what i believe to be a paper thin maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard and jumbo frets. It is a Strat shape, solid top, made of plywood (although some models have been found to be made of maple or alder). the finish is in the true 80s fashion, being metallic red, with bits of glitter.
-Floyd Rose 2 (single locking)
-HSS (no name passive pickups)
-1 volume
-2 - 2 way toggles(single coil on/off) and 1- 3 way(coil split)
-kramer tuners
-seller threw in a gig bag // 8

Sound: I play mostly 80s hair/glam metal, but my style is quite diverse. It has that 80s type tone for screaming harmonics and all of those cheesy whammy tricks. Its bright tone helps it cut through the mix for those MASSIVE glam choruses. And if you turn on a middle or neck position pickup, the tone becomes smoother and much warmer, which I do for jazz (yes, jazz) and more classic rock songs.
the single coils do hum, but that may be due to my POD 2.0, which I have on either a 89 Soldano SLO 100 or 94 Marshall JCM800 model. Mix up some chorus and delay, and it sounds perfect. The only effect I run it through is my home made talkbox aka The Loud Italian(made of a plunger, speakers and pvc tube) it sounds great for songls like Livin on a Prayer.
With both single coils on, the cleans are perfect. The bridge just has too much attack for my taste when it comes to cleans.
Overall, the guitar has that authentic hair metal sound that very rare in guitars these days. HOWEVER, fans of other genres might be disappointed. For me its a 10, but in fairness...8 // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: well, I bought it in a private sale, and it was set up amazingly. The playability on it is fantastic but a little buzzy, so I raised it. The top mounted single locking floyd, which had 20 year old stings on it didn't drop tune for a while, but obviously i had to change the strings.
I swapped the single locking saddle for Schaller double lockers, just to be safe, and it still stays beautifully in tune. The guitar has 2 small "dings" in it....but hey, the 80s happened.
Perfect. This guy really knew how to take care of a guitar. Kudos to Kirk. 10 // 10

Reliability & Durability: This guitar is a workhorse. It's strong enough to play live, and seems like it could last til the 80s makes its big comeback. I never gig without a backup, but that's just me. And the finish will keep on shining for many years to come. It is my main guitar at any and every gig. // 9

Overall Impression: Overall, its a perfect match for me, after playing 3 years now. I own an Ibanez 350EX and recently parted with an Epi G-400, and the character of this axe outshines them. its my baby. I'd probably try to look for another 80s kramer, or maybe save for a charvel.
The character/vibe of the guitar just brings the best out of my playing. And the super thin neck is very shredable. // 10